Mention motorcycle brands and the American Midwest in the same sentence, and a particular Motor Co. springs to mind first. But there’s a smaller company 146 miles away, across Lake Michigan, producing small bikes with big attitudes. They’re called Janus Motorcycles, and this is their latest offering?the Janus Gryffin 450 scrambler.
Based in Goshen, Indiana, Janus Motorcycles specializes in vintage-styled, made-to-order motorcycles. Using engines from the Italian brand SWM, their bikes can be specced with myriad color and accessory options, before being assembled by hand and shipped to their new owners. Only a handful of parts come from external suppliers?the rest are made in-house, or by Janus’ local network of craftsmen, many of which are Amish.
The Janus Gryffin 450 shows off the same scrambler styling as the existing Gryffin 250, but uses the engine from the company’s bigger Halcyon 450 bobber. You’re looking at the prototype build, devoid of any paint and finishings. Janus is in the thick of finalizing development, with the Gryffin 450 expected to go into production in July.
Derived from the single-cylinder donk in the Honda XR400, the 445 cc SWM motor makes around 30 hp. It’s not likely to set any land speed records, but that’s just fine for the Janus team. Their philosophy is building bikes that are not just gorgeous, but approachable too.

In pursuit of that goal, Janus prioritizes weight over power. With its proprietary...